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- Genre: Masters Thesis
Description
Over the past two decades there has been much discussion surrounding the potential of zoos as conservation institutions. Although zoos have clearly intensified their rhetorical and programmatic commitment to conservation (both ex situ and in situ), many critics remain skeptical of these efforts. This study was comprised of two parts: 1) an investigation of the general relationship between U.S. zoological institutions and the conservation agenda, and 2) a more specific single case study of conservation engagement and institutional identity at the Phoenix Zoo. Methods included extensive literature review, expert interviews with scholars and zoo professionals, site visits to the Phoenix Zoo and archival research. I found that the Phoenix Zoo is in the process of consciously creating a conservation-centered institutional identity by implementing and publicizing various conservation initiatives. Despite criticism of the embrace of conservation by zoos today, these institutions will be increasingly important agents of biodiversity protection and conservation education in this century.
ContributorsLove, Karen (Author) / Minteer, Ben (Thesis advisor) / Kinzig, Ann (Committee member) / Collins, James (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Development throughout the course of history has traditionally resulted in the demise of biodiversity. As humans strive to develop their daily livelihoods, it is often at the expense of nearby wildlife and the environment. Conservation non-governmental organizations (NGOs), among other actors in the global agenda, have blossomed in the past century with the realization that there is an immediate need for conservation action. Unlike government agencies, conservation NGOs have an independent, potentially more objective outlook on procedures and policies that would benefit certain regions or certain species the most. They often have national and international government support, in addition to the credibility and influencing power to sway policy decisions and participate in international agendas. The key to their success lies in the ability to balance conservation efforts with socioeconomic development efforts. One cannot occur without the other, but they must work in coordination. This study looks at the example of African Great Apes. Eight ape-focused NGOs and three unique case studies will be examined in order to describe the impact that NGOs have. Most of these NGOs have been able to build the capacity from an initial conservation agenda, to incorporating socioeconomic factors that benefit the development of local communities in addition to the apes and habitat they set out to influence. This being the case, initiatives by conservation NGOs could be the key to a sustainable future in which humans and biodiversity coexist harmoniously.
ContributorsPrickett, Laura (Author) / Parmentier, Mary Jane (Thesis advisor) / Zachary, Gregg (Committee member) / Gerber, Leah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
The Gulf of Mexico (or “Gulf”) is of critical significance to the oil and gas industries’ offshore production, but the potential for accidental petrochemical influx into the Gulf due to such processes is high; two of the largest marine oil spills in history, Pemex's Ixtoc I spill (1979) and British Petroleum's (BP) Deepwater Horizon (2010), have occurred in the region. However, the Gulf is also of critical significance to thousands of unique species, many of which may be irreparably harmed by accidental petrochemical exposure. To better manage the conservation and recovery of marine species in the Gulf ecosystem, a Petrochemical Vulnerability Index was developed to determine the potential impact of a petrochemical influx on Gulf marine fishes, therein providing an objective framework with which to determine the best immediate and long term management strategies for resource managers and decision-makers. The resulting Petrochemical Vulnerability Index (PVI) was developed and applied to all bony fishes and shark/ray species in the Gulf of Mexico (1,670 spp), based on a theoretical petrochemical vulnerability framework developed by peer review. The PVI for fishes embodies three key facets of species vulnerability: likelihood of exposure, individual sensitivity, and population resilience, and comprised of 11 total metrics (Distribution, Longevity, Mobility, Habitat, Pre-Adult Stage Length, Pre-Adult Exposure; Increased Adult Sensitivity Due to UV Light, Increased Pre-Adult Sensitivity Due to UV Light; and Abundance, Reproductive Turnover Rate, Diet/Habitat Specialization). The resulting PVI can be used to guide attention to the species potentially most in need of immediate attention in the event of an oil spill or other petrochemical influx, as well as those species that may require intensive long-term recovery. The scored relative vulnerability rankings can also provide information on species that ought to be the focus of future toxicological research, by indicating which species lack toxicological data, and may potentially experience significant impacts.
ContributorsWoodyard, Megan (Author) / Polidoro, Beth (Thesis advisor) / Saul, Steven (Thesis advisor) / Matson, Cole (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Wildlife rehabilitation as a practice in the United States exists in a complicated ethical landscape. The Wildlife Rehabilitator's Code of Ethics exists to guide the profession and states that rehabilitators must respect the wildness and maintain the dignity of an animal in their care. This thesis explores the question: How do the attitudes and actions of wildlife rehabilitators exemplify the ways in which they understand and enact respect for an animal’s dignity and wildness while in their care? Additionally, in what circumstances do rehabilitators align and diverge from each other in their interpretation and demonstration of this respect? These questions were answered through a literature review, interviews with rehabilitators, and site visits to wildlife rehabilitation centers in the Phoenix metropolitan area. My results suggest that rehabilitators are aligned in their understanding of respect for wildness and dignity as it applies to the animals in their care that are actively undergoing rehabilitation. Rehabilitators achieved consensus on the idea that they should interact with the animals as little as possible while providing their medically necessary care. Rehabilitators began to diverge when considering the animals in their sanctuary spaces. Specifically, they varied in their perception of wildness in sanctuary animals, which informed how some saw their responsibilities to the animals. Lesser perceived wildness correlated to increased acceptance of forming affectionate relationships with the sanctuary animals, and even feelings of obligation to form these relationships. Based on my research, I argue that the Wildlife Rehabilitator's Code of Ethics should be revised to reflect the specific boundary that wildlife rehabilitators identified in the rehabilitation space and provide substantive guidance as to what respecting wildness and dignity means in this field.
ContributorsBernat, Isabella Elyse (Author) / Minteer, Ben (Thesis advisor) / Ellison, Karin (Committee member) / Schoon, Michael (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Desert ecosystems of the southwest United States are characterized by hot and arid climates, but hibernating bats can be found at high altitudes. The emerging fungal infection, white-nose syndrome, causes mortality in hibernating bat populations across eastern North America and the pathogen is increasingly observed in western regions. However, little is known about the ecology of hibernating bats in the southwest, which can help predict how these populations may respond to the fungus. My study investigated hibernating bats during two winters (2018-2019/2019-2020) at three caves in northern Arizona to: (1) describe diversity and abundance of hibernating bats using visual internal surveys and photographic documentation, (2) determine the duration of hibernation by recording bat echolocation call sequences outside caves and recording bat activity in caves using visual inspection, and (3) describe environmental conditions where hibernating bats are roosting. Adjacent to bats, I collected temperature and relative humidity, which I converted into absolute humidity. I documented hibernation status (i.e. active vs. not active) and roosting body position (i.e. open, partially hidden, and hidden). Between September 2018 and April 2019, 246 bat observations were recorded across the three caves. The majority of bats were identified as Myotis spp. (45.9\%, n=113), followed by Corynorhinus townsendii (45.5\%, n=112), Parastrellus hesperus (4.8\%, n=12), Eptesicus fuscus (3.6\%, n=9). Between September 2019 and April 2020, I documented a total of 361 bat observations across the three caves. C. townsendii was most prevalent (52.9\%, n=191), followed by the category P. hesperus/Myotis spp. (25.7\%, n=93), Myotis spp. (12.4\%, n=45), P. Hesperus (4.4\%, n=16), E. fuscus (3.6\%, n=13) and Unknown (0.8\%, n=3). Average conditions adjacent to bats were, temperature=12.5ºC, relative humidity=53\%, and absolute humidity=4.9 g/kg. Hibernating bats were never observed in large clusters and the maximum hibernating population size was 24, suggesting low risk for pathogen transmission among bats. Hibernation lasted approximately 120 days, with minimal activity documented inside and outside caves. Hibernating bats in northern Arizona may be at low risk for white-nose syndrome based on population size, hibernation length, roosting behavior, and absolute humidity, but other variables (e.g. temperature) indicate the potential for white-nose syndrome impacts on these populations.
ContributorsMaldonado Perez, Nubia Erandi (Author) / Moore, Marianne S (Thesis advisor) / DeNardo, Dale (Committee member) / Deviche, Pierre (Committee member) / Smith, Brian (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Echinomastus erectocentrus (J.M. Coulter) Britton & Rose var. acunensis (W.T. Marshall) Bravo, the Acuña cactus, is a small, single-stemmed spherical cactus with a restricted distribution across the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona and into northern Sonora, Mexico. Populations of E. erectocentrus var. acunensis are threatened by loss of habitat, climate change, predation, and border related impacts. Due to the severity of these threats and shrinking population sizes, E. erectocentrus var. acunensis was federally listed as endangered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 2013. The varieties of Echinomastus erectocentrus, E. erectocentrus var. acunensis and E. erectocentrus var. erectocentrus (J.M. Coulter) Britton & Rose, share many morphological characteristics that make them difficult to distinguish from one another. Echinomastus johnsonii (Parry ex Engelm.) E.M. Baxter, a presumed closely related species, also has a high level of morphological overlap that further complicates our understanding of species boundaries and detailed morphological data for these three taxa indicate a geographical cline. The goal of this project is to document the genetic diversity within and among populations of E. erectocentrus var. acunensis, and its close relatives E. erectocentrus var. erectocentrus and E. johnsonii. To accomplish this, populations of E. erectocentrus var. acunensis, E. erectocentrus var. erectocentrus, E. johnsonii and the outgroup Echinomastus intertextus (Engelm.) Britton & Rose were sampled. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted, and data were collected for nine microsatellite regions developed specifically for these taxa, and two microsatellite regions developed for Sclerocactus, a closely related genus. Standard population genetic measures were used to determine genetic variation and structure, and this observed genetic differentiation was then compared to the current morphological understanding of the group. These analyses help improve the knowledge of the genetic structure of E. erectocentrus var. acunensis and inform the understanding of species boundaries and evolutionary relationships within the group by revealing genetic distinctiveness between all four taxa and hybrid populations between the two varieties. This information also reveals patterns of gene flow and population locations that have the highest conservation priority, which can be incorporated into efforts to conserve and protect this endangered species.
ContributorsWillis, Alison (Author) / Wojciechowski, Martin F (Thesis advisor) / Fehlberg, Shannon D (Thesis advisor) / Makings, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020